Vegetarian Pets............

Hello...my name is Fernanda, this is my second post here. I love it!
But I would love to say something...I'm a vegetarian...but my baby dog is not.
I been working in an animal hospital for four years now and I have seen crazy things there. But one thing thing that really got me upset is seeing a dog dying because his owner was a vegetarian and would not feed the dog the right food. The animals NEED MEAT. It's about their health that we care about besides loving them to death. So..let me just say Animals Need their meat!


Chau!
Fer

 

Well, I'm not vegetarian (i've got my reasons and my opinions, so don't bite my head off)but I just wanted to say, that for those of you that wanted to raise their kids as vegetarians I don't think it's good for those children to have an opinion foced into them, I mean they need to make their own choices and build their opinions and perhaps they'll disagree with being a vegetarian...

As for the animals, just see if they like meat or plants/veggies better, if they prefer plant/veggies and don't need any meat to survive, then why not feeding them in a vegetarian way?

kissouilles
moony

 

Perhaps they will, but that is when they are old enough to make the decision for themselves. When you have a baby you rasie that baby to have certain set of values and moral, you teach them the difference between right and wrong. And for many veggies, it is wrong to eat meat, so why would we teach our children any different?
Of course when they reach young adulthood they will define right and wrong for themselves, but we as parents have a responsibility to teach them the difference when they are little.

 

Yay! luvndrumm




Fer

 

"Well, I'm not vegetarian (i've got my reasons and my opinions, so don't bite my head off)but I just wanted to say, that for those of you that wanted to raise their kids as vegetarians I don't think it's good for those children to have an opinion foced into them, I mean they need to make their own choices and build their opinions and perhaps they'll disagree with being a vegetarian..."


I agree with Elle on this one. Personally I believe that (for humans, pets is another issue) eating meat is fundamentally wrong. I don't see why I would raise my child to do something that is wrong, and not just wrong but unhealthy too. People can survive without meat, and if I have children they're going to learn to survive without it and then if when they're older they want to change their minds then they can do that too.

As for pets, yeah I think if they need the meat then feed it to them. I wouldn't buy that store bought shit though because there's all kinds of god-knows-what in there.

 

Not true....wolves prey on the weak be they old, wounded or young. Thats why the brilliant game control authourities started shooting wolves in western Alaska, because they were eating too many moose calves. Animals have instinct not morals.

Kids don't get to have choices..LOL. No really, the choices kids get to make in their life start few and grow as they get old. If kids were able to completely choose what the ate many of them would be living off of chocolate and soda. In your home you live by your ethical and spiritual values and we teach these to our children. If the kids are being raised in a vegan house it is fine feed them a vegan diet.

As for the original post....dogs and cats are carnivors and need animal products in thier diet.

 

ya, but animals dont know what they're eating if they're not killing it. they eat what they are fed. but i do think animals have morals. they just seem to do things more naturally than humans. i dont know. im vegetarin because murder is still murder. i can live without meat. and i think aniamals can too. get them vegetrain food that tastes like meat, with vitamin supplements (only if needed) and it sounds fine to me. then again, what do i know, so please do not talk angrily if i am wrong. nicely inform me, please.

 

Sure I'm not gonna let a 3years old child eat what he wants...he'd prolly eat only junk food and candys!

But I mean, you have to make your kid eat of everything, may it be,veggies, meat, feculants, ... or ANYTHING... The children should have a large variety of food to choose to eat when they come of age to choose if they want to be vegetarian or not. That's what I meant on my previous post!

I understand your...er....morals ? (sorry I can't formulate my thoughts very well!) and well, it's good to teach your children morals, as long as it's never to extremist and doesn't stop them thinking otherwise.

Cats and Dogs are carnivores, yes, but human's are also carnivores(we've eaten meat since ever)and yet, some human's aree vegetarian, so I suppose cats and dogs and other animals can do without meat like humans.

 

thanks! you learned me something!

So, ppl the last part of my post was wrong...DON'T MIND IT! (only the last part)

kissouilles
moony

 

Yes, I know...I'm a little late.

If animals were capable of understanding what some people consider "moral" behaviour , then why would you need to feed them a meat flavored vegetarian food? Your cat or dog wouldn't be eating it because they thought it was moral, they'd eat it because that's what you're feeding to them. Or say, if something happened to you tomorrow and you were no longer able to take care of your pet and had to give it away, do you think that animal is going to turn their nose up at a fat bloody steak because it's against their morals? I seriously doubt it.

My cats get plenty of food, but they still go outside and kill chipmunks, baby rabbits, birds, frogs, and anything else they can get their paws on. I don't believe that they stop to think about how "immoral" it might be to kill a mother bird when she has a nest full of babies. It's just instinct. My step-sister's dog has ripped all of the fur from her backside trying to crawl up under our chicken pen. She knows she's not supposed to because she gets in trouble for it, but she still tries to get them whenever no one is looking. I doubt she's having any moral issues about whether she should be trying to kill our laying hens, she just knows one would make a tasty snack if only these bothersome humans would let her get close enough to them.

Morals are such an odd thing anyway. Think of all the things that go on in other countries that we find to be completely immoral and disgusting. Think of all the things in your own country that others might find to be immoral. Animals don't have to deal with that...to them it's all about survival of the fittest.

Either way, a cat or dog will eat meat at some point, unless you're the type of pet owner that keeps them locked up and takes away their free will. To me, that is just as immoral as as anything else.

 

Good Question Elle, but you are right in what you do. Animals, cats especially, are carnivorous. Dogs are omnivorous, but that doesn't mean that they should be expected to be able to become vegetarian as we are.

As a vegan, I have begun to consider where everything comes from, including of course, the cat food for my 9 cats. I've learned that the most disgusting unsuitible for human cunsumption meats are used for animal food. Diseased, dying, and dead animals are used to feed our beloved pets...family members to most of us.

Since I want nothing to do with supporting this terrible industry, I've decided to make my cats food for them. In searching for chickens, Ive set the best standards possible to assure that they have the most humane treatment possible before they are given to me. I found a local farmer who feeds his chickens vegetarian feed, and gives them plenty of outdoor space. I only take his egg laying chickens because they live a longer life, and the slaughter is humane.

I've been asked by everyone how I feel about doing this. It's simple...the natural order of life requires cats to eat meat, and it would be inhumane for me to deny them what they need to survive. True, I could probably raise my own chickens and let the cats loose to catch them, but get real...there's no need for any animal to suffer if I can have a part in preventing it.

Please stick to your beliefs on this one. A vegetarian diet is not healthy for a carnivorous animal, and will shorten the life of your pet dramatically.

Peace,
Sharry

 

Have you got any proof for that statement? I found a few sources that state otherwise, one is this: Vegan Pets

 

I think it's morally wrong and basically disgusting to feed children meat. I would never feed corpse to a child.

 

Raising your kids as vegetarians is no more forcing your opinion on them than raising them as meat-eaters. When they leave home (or when they're outside the home) they still have a choice. If I didn't feed my kids popcorn, would I be forcing an opinion on them about popcorn? Anyway, it's natural that parents should communicate their values to their kids, so long as the parents understand that the kids will eventually make their own choice.

 

I have heard about vegetarian cat & dog food, but I've never tried it. Some reports say it's fine, others say the animals do still lack some nutrients; I'd sure keep a close eye on your pet if you tried it... and try the packaged foods only, rather than try to mix your own. It's not natural for these animals to be vegetarians and the companies that make these kinds of food at least have lots more resources to measure and make sure the food contains all nutrients, at home you'd have to do a lot more guesswork.

 

I have been thinking alot lately about where my cat's food comes from...he eats dry food and the occasional leftover meat my mother brings him. But my parents feed their dog Alpo canned food....it's just gross....but I have no idea of what else to suggest they feed her. I know they don't have the time or money to be buying chicken and steak and all that and then cooking it for her. I have to do some research....do you know of any websites that would have some info for me?